JP4517880B2 - Network system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a home appliance network system using a wireless IC tag and a program thereof.

Application of the wireless IC tag to the field of home appliances is being studied. Based on the code information of the wireless IC tag attached to the object as in Patent Document 1, the management server is accessed via the network, and the object A method of acquiring detailed information such as the manufacturer of an object has been devised.
JP 2003-157477 A

  However, in Patent Document 1 and the like, a wireless IC tag is applied to a flow process in which a second process is performed on a target object only after the first process is performed on the first network appliance. It is not assumed to use this, and it is difficult to link such a flow process between a plurality of network home appliances.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problem, in the network system including the first network home appliance, the second network home appliance, and the relay device, the first network home appliance reads the code information of the wireless IC tag. A reading unit that performs a first process on an object to which the wireless IC tag is attached; and after the first process, the code information of the wireless IC tag read by the reading unit; Information indicating that processing at one network home appliance has been completed (end information) or information regarding processing to be performed at the second network home appliance (next processing information) is transmitted to the relay device, and the relay device includes The code information and the end information or the next processing information are stored in the storage means.

  Thereby, only after performing the 1st processing with the 1st network home appliance with respect to the target object, between the plurality of network home appliances which assumed the flow processing of performing the 2nd processing with the 2nd network home appliance Linked operation is now possible.

  For example, if clothes that have not been washed and dehydrated are dried with a drying device, the dirt on the clothes will be fixed, and washing and dehydration will not be cleaned after washing and dehydration is completed. It can be expected that only clothes will be dried.

  The first invention relates to a network home appliance and a program thereof, a network system comprising a first network home appliance, a second network home appliance, and a relay device, wherein the first network home appliance is code information of a wireless IC tag Reading means, performing a first process on the object to which the wireless IC tag is attached, and after completion of the first process, code information of the wireless IC tag read by the reading means; Information that the processing at the first network home appliance has ended (end information) or information about processing that should be performed at the second network home appliance (next processing information) is transmitted to the relay device, and the relay device The storage means comprises the code information and the end information or the next processing information.

  As a result, when it is assumed that the second work is performed with the second network home appliance only after the first work is performed on the target with the first network home appliance, the storage unit of the relay device By confirming the information stored in, it is possible to surely know whether or not the second operation should be performed on the object.

  In the second invention, particularly in the first invention, when the first network home appliance starts the first process, the reading means reads the code information of the wireless IC tag, and relays the code information and the invalid information. The relay device stores the code information and the invalid information in a storage means, and when the first processing by the first network home appliance is completed, the first network home appliance is newly The code information and the end information or the next processing information are transmitted to the relay device, and the relay device stores the code information and the end information or the next processing information in the storage unit. .

  Thereby, when the first network home appliance starts the first process and ends normally, the second network home appliance can perform the process, but the first network home appliance is interrupted before the first process ends. When the process 1 is not completed normally, only the invalid information is written in the relay device, which can be used for the subsequent processes.

  In the third invention, in particular, in the second invention, when the second processing is performed by the second network home appliance, the code information of the wireless IC tag is read by the reading means included in the second network home appliance. The code information is transmitted to a relay device, and the relay device transmits information including information corresponding to the code information (invalid information, termination information, or next processing information) to the second network home appliance. When the invalid information is received, the notification means provided in the second network home appliance is notified.

  Thereby, in order to avoid that the 2nd process is accidentally performed when the 1st process is not over, it can alert and call attention.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, particularly in the first aspect of the invention, the information stored in the storage means of the relay device includes information on the time processed at the first network home appliance (end time information) or processing at the second network home appliance. Information related to the time to be processed (next processing time information) is included.

  Thereby, using this information, time information can be provided between the processing at the first network home appliance and the processing at the second network home appliance. For example, it is possible to set a time limit from the processing at the first network home appliance to the processing at the second network home appliance.

  In the fifth invention, particularly in the fourth invention, when the second processing is performed at the second network home appliance, the information is acquired from the storage unit of the relay device, and a predetermined time has elapsed from the end time information. When it is determined that the next processing time information has elapsed, the notification means provided in the second network home appliance is used for notification.

  Thereby, the time limit can be given between the process in the first network home appliance and the process in the second network home appliance using this information. For example, when it has passed for more than one day from the processing at the first network home appliance to the processing at the second network home appliance, it is necessary to confirm the processing at the second network home appliance. Can be notified to the user.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first aspect of the invention, the first network home appliance is the laundry dehydrating apparatus and the second network home appliance is the drying apparatus, and information indicating that the laundry dehydration is completed, or information for instructing a drying process. Is stored in the storage means of the relay device.

  By using this information, if clothes that have not been washed and dehydrated are dried with a drying device, dirt on the clothes will be fixed, and then washing and dehydrating will not clean. Can be supported.

  In a seventh aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first aspect of the invention, the first network home appliance is used as a freezer / refrigerator and the second network home appliance is used as a cooking device. The information is stored in the storage means of the relay device.

  Thereby, using this information, it is possible to perform optimum cooking by instructing a method of cooking that is most suitable for the temperature that has been stored in a refrigerator.

  The eighth invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the function of the first network home appliance or the second network home appliance or the relay device, particularly in any one of the first to fifth inventions, and includes a CPU, a RAM, A part of the present invention can be easily realized as a program by cooperating hardware resources such as a ROM, a storage device, an electrical information device including an I / O, a computer, and the like. Also, by distributing the program on a recording medium or using a communication line, program distribution can be realized very easily compared to other means.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network home appliance and a system configuration according to the present invention.

  Here, the explanation will be made using the laundry dehydrating apparatus 20 as the first network home appliance and the drying apparatus 30 as the second network home appliance. This combination was selected because, for example, if the clothes (object 1a) that has not been washed and dehydrated are dried with the drying device 30, the dirt on the clothes (object 1a) is fixed, and then the laundry is dehydrated. This is because there may be a case where it does not become beautiful even if it is fixed, and it can be expected that only clothes (object 1a) that has been washed and dehydrated are dried.

  First, the washing / dehydrating apparatus 20 (first network home appliance) will be described. The laundry dewatering device 20 is a device for washing and dewatering the object 1a. The reading means 3a reads the information of the wireless IC tag 2a attached to the object 1a, the control means 4a, the laundry dewatering promotion means 5, and the extra small wireless communication. Means 6a are provided.

  The washing / dehydrating apparatus 20 physically promotes the washing / dehydrating of the object 1a to be washed / dehydrated by the washing / dehydrating promotion means 5, and the washing / dehydrating promotion means 5 is controlled by the control means 4a. Is controlled.

  For washing and dehydration, it is physically promoted by washing it with water, so it can be washed and dehydrated as long as it is a material that can withstand washing and dewatering, such as hemp and cotton, but it can be made of nylon or processed. Please note that some products are wet or physically weak.

  By knowing in advance whether or not selective dehydration is set for each object 1a and the washing method, etc., and controlling the laundry dehydration according to the material, it is efficient without damaging important clothing. Can be washed and dehydrated well.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to use code information read from the wireless IC tag 2a attached to the object 1a. The code information includes information on washing and dehydration. Alternatively, if the code information is literally numerical information represented by a string of about 64 to 128 bits, and specific information relating to washing and dehydration cannot be obtained by this code information alone, the code information is used as the basis. Then, the server 1 on the Internet (name resolution server 60 and product information server 70) is accessed via the relay device 40 and the router 50, and the object 1a may be washed and dehydrated by the washing and dehydrating device 20 in the first place. Or, if washing and dewatering is possible, information on the number of times of washing and dewatering is appropriate, or information on how many minutes the washing and dewatering is is acquired.

  The relay device 40 includes extra-small wireless communication means 6c for communication with network home appliances, control means 4c, and LAN communication means 9a for communication with the router 50. The router 50 includes the relay means 40. LAN communication means 9b for communication with the Internet and WAN communication means 10 for Internet communication, and the detailed information of the object 1a is acquired from the code information of the wireless IC tag 2a read by the washing and dehydrating apparatus 20 This is the main action.

  Since the control means 4a provided in the washing / dehydrating apparatus 20 can control the washing / dehydrating promotion means 5 based on the information on the washing / dehydrating acquired by such a route and method, more appropriate washing / dehydrating can be performed. It is very useful to acquire such information. For objects with different conditions, it can also be expected to prevent destruction of the objects in accordance with the most severe conditions. However, since the present invention is not related to the operation of the laundry dewatering apparatus, no further details regarding laundry dewatering will be given.

  The description so far has been related to the basic operation of the washing / dehydrating apparatus 20 using the information read from the wireless IC tag 2a. However, a storage means (not shown) is provided inside the control means 4c of the relay device 40, for example. Therefore, it is conceivable that information (next processing information) instructing drying is written in the storage means of the relay device 40 using the information transmitted by the washing and dehydrating device 20 as data to be transferred to the drying process.

  That is, when the object 1a is washed and dehydrated, first, the washing and dehydrating apparatus 20 reads the code information of the wireless IC tag 2a attached to the object 1a to be washed and dehydrated when starting the washing and dehydrating. Information and invalid information are transmitted to the relay device 40. The relay device 40 receives this code information and invalid information and stores them in the storage means of the control means 4c. Next, at the time when the laundry dewatering apparatus 20 finishes the laundry dewatering process, the laundry dewatering apparatus 20 has the code information of the wireless tag 2a and the laundry dewatering process end information (end information) or information that it should be dried from now on. (Next processing information) is transmitted to the relay device 40, and the relay device 40 receives the code information and the end information or the next processing information and stores them in the storage means of the control means 4c (overwriting invalid information). ).

  Next, the object 1a for which washing and dehydration has been completed is transferred to the drying device 30 (second network home appliance) by hand or the like, and is subjected to a drying process.

  The drying device 30 is a device for drying the object 1b. The reading device 3b reads information on the wireless IC tag 2b attached to the object 1b, the control means 4b for controlling the whole, and the object controlled by the control means 4b. Drying promotion means 7 that promotes drying of the object 1b, extra-small wireless communication means 6b that communicates information including code information with the relay device 40, and notification means 8 that is controlled by the control means 4b and performs notification.

  In the drying device 30, the code information of the wireless IC tag 2 b is read by the reading unit 3 b included in the drying device 30 before the drying is started, and the code information is transmitted to the relay device 40. The relay device 40 extracts information including information corresponding to the code information (invalid information, end information, or next processing information) from the storage unit and returns the information to the drying device 30. Here, when the drying device 30 receives invalid information, the information is provided by the notification means 8 provided in the drying device 30. In other words, the control means 4b of the drying device 30 notifies the user of the object for which the washing and dehydration has not been completed or the object for which the drying operation is not instructed, without letting it dry as it is. Is programmed.

  As an operation at this time, when the drying device 30 is about to start drying, the wireless IC tag 2b of the object 1b is read by the reading unit 3b, and the relay device 40 is based on the code information of the wireless IC tag 2b. As a result of the inquiry, when it is determined that there is no information for instructing drying (invalid information), the drying device 30 controls the notification means 8 from the control means 4b to say "washing dehydration is not finished". It is also preferable to issue a warning such as an alarm or an alarm sound.

  Of course, a similar warning or warning may be issued using information that washing and dehydration has been completed instead of information that instructs drying. However, there are cases where the user wants to dry directly without going through the laundry dehydration process, so it is too much not to dry any object that is not instructed to dry. It is desirable to keep it.

  When the drying device 30 receives the end information or the next processing information, an operation similar to that of the washing and dewatering device 20 described so far is performed. The operation similar to the washing and dewatering device 20 is that servers on the Internet (name resolution server 60 and product information server 70) via the relay device 40 and the router 50 based on the code information of the wireless IC tag 2b. To obtain information on drying (whether it can be dried by a drying device, how many times the drying temperature is appropriate, etc.), and using that information, the control means 4b uses the information to promote drying of the object 1b. 7 to dry. After drying is performed in this way, after the completion of drying, information (end information) indicating that the drying is completed and the code information of the wireless IC tag 2b are transmitted to the relay device 40, and the relay device 40 receiving the information transmits the storage means. In addition, these pieces of information are stored.

  In addition, although it has been described that information is stored in the storage unit of the relay device 40, some wireless IC tags include a storage unit inside, so when such a wireless IC tag is used. It is also possible to store information in the storage means provided in the wireless IC tag. However, in the case of a wireless IC tag that cannot be written, it is most preferable to store it in the relay device 40 as described herein.

  Of course, as long as information can be exchanged between network devices, it is possible, but this is not always possible. One reason for this is that the power of network home appliances to which information is sent is required to be on, but there is no guarantee that all network home appliances are always on. It is desirable to store information in a relay device.

  In particular, from the viewpoint of energy savings associated with carbon dioxide emission regulations as in recent years, it is desirable that there are few devices that are always turned on, especially for network home appliances (here, drying devices) that are not controlled from the outside. In most cases, the power is turned off. In such a case, it is expected that the information cannot be sent unless the power is turned on, and it is appropriate to store the information in the relay device.

  Furthermore, some of the extra-small wireless communication means used for network devices are designed exclusively for outgoing calls, and it is impossible to exchange information directly between these network devices. Therefore, relaying information is the most efficient solution.

  The information to be written may be written by adding time information (end time information) for washing and dewatering. The drying device may read the time of washing and dewatering, and may determine whether a drying process is necessary or unnecessary based on the elapsed time from that time.

  For example, if it is detected from the information read from the storage means of the relay device 40 that three or more days have passed since the time of washing and dewatering, it is predicted that it has already been dried. Judgment is made and the user is notified by a warning such as an alarm or an alarm sound. Also, for example, since there is a risk of incomplete drying, instructions may be given to restart washing and drying, and assuming the case where conditions change with elapsed time, time information is added. It is very useful to control.

  Alternatively, the time to be dried (next processing time information) may be written in the storage unit of the relay device 40 instead of the time information (end time information) for washing and dewatering. Similarly to the above, the drying apparatus can determine whether or not a drying step is necessary based on the time to be dried.

  As described above, the time limit can be given between the processing at the first network home appliance and the processing at the second network home appliance.

  Note that the means described in this embodiment causes hardware resources such as a CPU (or microcomputer), a RAM, a ROM, a storage / recording device, an electrical / information device including an I / O, a computer, a server, and the like to cooperate. You may implement with the form of a program. In the form of a program, new functions can be distributed / updated and installed easily by recording on a recording medium such as a magnetic medium or an optical medium, or by using a communication line such as the Internet.

  Further, here, the laundry dehydrating apparatus is described as an example of the first network home appliance, and the drying apparatus is described as the second network home appliance. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the second processing is always performed after the first processing is performed. The present invention can be similarly applied to processing across different models, such as processing, and is not limited to network home appliances, and may be home appliances or industrial devices having no network function.

  For example, the first network home appliance is a refrigerator-freezer, and temperature information for freezing or refrigeration (or information indicating whether it is stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer may be transmitted) to the relay device 40 and stored in the storage means. To do. The second network home appliance is a heating cooking device, acquires information stored in the storage means of the relay device 40, and determines the heating intensity and heating time of the cooking object.

  For example, a heating cooker (microwave oven) that has acquired information indicating that it has been stored in the freezer from the storage means of the relay device 40 performs “thaw heating” according to the temperature of the frozen storage, and is stored in the refrigerator. When the information indicating that is acquired, “warmth heating” is performed in accordance with the temperature of the refrigerated storage.

  Further, as described in the embodiment of the laundry dehydrating apparatus and the drying apparatus, the time information (end time information) taken out from the refrigerator-freezer and the time to be thawed (next processing time information) are stored in the relay unit 40. May be stored. It is possible to confirm to the user that the cooked food for which a predetermined time has elapsed from the time of taking out from the freezer performs “warmth heating” instead of “thaw heating”.

  In addition, although the washing | cleaning dehydration apparatus and drying apparatus, the freezing / refrigeration apparatus, and the heating cooking apparatus were demonstrated as an example as network household appliances, it is not restricted to this, The information regarding what was performed with the 1st network household appliances is memorize | stored in the relay apparatus 40 Any network system may be used as long as it is stored in the means and taken over by the operation of the second network home appliance.

  As described above, the network system and the program according to the present invention perform the second process with the second network home appliance only after performing the first process with the first network home appliance on the object. It is possible to link between multiple network home appliances assuming flow processing such as, for example, if clothes that have not been washed and dehydrated are dried with a drying device, dirt on the clothes will be fixed, and then dehydrated and washed. It can be considered that the clothes will not be clean even after being repaired, and it can be expected that only clothes that have been washed and dehydrated will be dried.

Configuration diagram of a network system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

1a, 1b Object 2a, 2b Wireless IC tag 3a, 3b Reading means 4a, 4b Control means 4c Control means (with storage means)
5 laundry dehydration promotion means 6a, 6b extra-small wireless communication means 7 drying promotion means 8 notification means 9a, 9b LAN communication means 10 WAN communication means 20 laundry dehydration apparatus (first network home appliance)
30 Drying device (second network home appliance)
40 relay device 50 router 60 name resolution server 70 product information server

Claims (7)

In a network system composed of a first network home appliance, a second network home appliance, and a relay device,
The first network home appliance includes a reading unit that reads code information of a wireless IC tag, performs a first process on an object to which the wireless IC tag is attached, and after the first process ends, Code information of the wireless IC tag read by the reading means and information that the processing at the first network home appliance has been completed (end information), or information on processing to be performed at the second network home appliance (next processing information) ) To the relay device, and the relay device stores the code information and the end information or the next processing information in a storage unit included therein. When the first network home appliance starts the first process, the reading unit reads the code information of the wireless IC tag, transmits the code information and invalid information to the relay device, and the relay device transmits the code information and the code information. Storing the invalid information in a storage means;
When the first processing by the first network home appliance is completed, the first network home appliance newly transmits the code information and end information or next processing information to the relay device,
The network system according to claim 1, wherein the relay device stores the code information, end information, or next processing information in the storage unit. When performing the second process in the second network home appliance, the code information of the wireless IC tag is read by the reading means provided in the second network home appliance, and the code information is transmitted to the relay device.
The relay device returns information including information corresponding to the code information (invalid information, termination information, or next processing information) to the second network home appliance,
3. The network system according to claim 2, wherein when the invalid information is received, notification is provided by notification means provided in the second network home appliance. The information stored in the storage unit of the relay device includes information on the time processed in the first network home appliance (end time information) or information on the time to be processed in the second network home appliance (next processing time information). The network system according to claim 1. When performing the second process at the second network home appliance, if the information is obtained from the storage means of the relay device and it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed from the end time information, or the next process time information 5. The network system according to claim 4, wherein, when it is determined that the time elapses, the notification means provided in the second network home appliance provides notification. The first network home appliance is a laundry dewatering device, the second network home appliance is a drying device, and information indicating that the laundry dehydration is completed or information for instructing a drying process is stored in the storage unit of the relay device. The network system according to claim 1. The first network home appliance is a freezer / refrigerator, the second network home appliance is a cooking device, and information on the stored temperature or information for instructing a cooking method is stored in the storage unit of the relay device. The network system according to claim 1.

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